Graduate Students

Welcome to Sociology

Sociology is the study of patterns of social relations and how those patterns shape what people do and think. From community and conflict, family and inequality, social change and religion, crime and conformity, class and race, gender and work, few fields offer students such breadth in the study of the social world we all inhabit.

For undergraduates we offer an exciting array of classes, where students can study everything from human sexuality to the sociology of culture, from issues related to aging to pressing questions of inequality and poverty. Students have great opportunities to work closely with our faculty and teaching staff; our wide range of courses offers undergraduates both breadth and depth in their study of sociology.

For graduate students we offer an excellent Master’s and PhD program. Our MA program has long provided outstanding training as preparation for PhD programs or for work in non-profit organizations, businesses, and government agencies. Our new PhD program offers advanced training, in general sociological theory and cutting edge methodologies for the analysis of social data, with particular emphasis on expertise in the analysis of social inequalities and social institutions.

Sociology News

Associate Professor Jennifer A. Jordan publishes a new book, “Edible Memory: The Lure of Heirloom Tomatoes and Other Forgotten Food.” In Edible Memory, Jordan examines the ways that people around the world have sought to identify and preserve old-fashioned varieties... Read more →

A recent publication by Assistant Professor Gordon Gauchat is receiving attention in the press. Washington Post’s Chris Mooney’s article “This is where distrust of science really comes from — and it’s not just your politics” includes Gauchat’s sociological research. Gauchat’s... Read more →